


When the Broken Glass Litters the Floor

by Penthesilea1623



Series: Tied, But Tenderly [4]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Arguments, F/M, Jealousy, Making Up, Redheads, breaking glass, overuse of the word fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 23:52:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6830470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penthesilea1623/pseuds/Penthesilea1623
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Elspeth says 'fuck' a lot.</p><p>Elspeth Trevelyan has made the decision to tell Bull how she feels about him, but a misunderstanding about a redhead has her reconsidering the plan.</p><p>From the 'the way you said I love you' prompt list, requested by poweredbycoffeeandwine, and cross-posted on my tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the Broken Glass Litters the Floor

Elspeth Trevelyan stormed into her room trying, and failing to slam the wooden door behind her. It was simply too heavy; it took all her weight just to get it closed and it closed with a dull slow thud that was completely unsatisfying.

She gave a scream of frustration and kicked the door, and then cursed again.

She’d forgotten she was wearing delicately heeled silk slippers instead of the sturdy leather boots she usually wore.Heels and a fucking dress that Dorian had helped her pick out when like some kind of simpering ninny she’d thought maybe Bull would like to see her in a dress for once, and now she’d probably broken her fucking toe because she’d been trying to please that fucking asshole.

She kicked off the shoes, leaving them where they landed, and limped up the stairs, shivering when she reached the top.

The two sets of glass doors had been left open, as if they were in fucking Rivain or Antiva instead of on a mountain top in the fucking Frostbacks, and who the fuck always left her fucking doors open?

Ignoring her throbbing toe she stalked over and shoved them closed, and then shoved them a second time when the latched failed to latch, and then gave another furious scream and slammed out at them and they shattered, both of them in an impressive shower of glass.

She stood there gaping at them. She’d lost control of her magic.

She hadn’t done that since she was twelve, but looking at what was left of the doors, the pattern of the shattered glass it was obvious. 

Force magic.

And, Maker it has been satisfying, exactly what she had been needing to do ever since she’d walked into the Herald’s Rest and seen… 

The rage rose again and with a roar she flung her arms towards the second set of doors, and they shattered as well and she stood there with a grim smile, savoring the tinkling of the glass as it fell to the floor.

“It wasn’t what you think it was.”

She whirled around. 

It was fucking him, her in her fucking room, like he had a fucking right to be there after…. 

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Oh, really? Because it looked like a big-titted redhead sitting on your lap, and it looked like you were enjoying the view!”

And instead of being apologetic, or ashamed or even the smallest bit embarrassed, the bastard actually smiled; oh it wasn’t a grin, he didn’t even show his teeth, just a little smirk, a little quirk at the corner of his mouth and she didn’t even bother to use her magic, just picked up a marble sculpture of a halla that sat on her desk and threw it at him.

It fell about two feet short. _Fuck_. She took a step to grab something else, forgetting the glass on the floor and her own bare feet, and let out a cry of pain.

Bull was instantly at her side, his boots crunching on the broken glass, as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She squirmed in his hold as he carried her over to the bed.

“Put me the fuck down!” She demanded.

Bull granted her wish dropping her on the mattress like she was a sack of potatoes. She tried to sit up, and he unceremoniously pushed her back down before sitting beside her and grabbing hold of her foot, carefully pulling out the shard of glass embedded there.

“OW!” She shifted onto her elbows and glared at him.

He grinned unrepentantly and kissed the foot he held. “There. All better.” He told her and grunted when she kicked him in the chin.

She flopped back down, glowering up at the canopy, trying to ignore both her throbbing foot, and the large hand that was sliding up her skirt caressing her calf.

“It was nothing, Boss. Just an old friend saying hello. I didn’t even know you were there until Krem told me.” His voice had dropped into that soft rumbling purr.

She gave an involuntary shiver, and, though she had to work at it, she managed a scowl. “Oh, that makes it so much better.” She snarled. “She was one of those women whose tits you used to compliment when they were bouncing up and down on top of you, wasn’t she?”

“I never hid that from you, Boss.” Bull reminded her. “But that was before. You didn’t stay long enough to hear me tell her I was a one-woman man now.”

Elspeth gave a small disbelieving snort, still not looking at him. She felt the mattress shift as he lay down beside her.

“I like your dress. “ He told her, running his finger along the edge of the neckline. “All soft and pretty. Innocent. Gives me all sorts of ideas.”

She rolled her eyes. Well, at least Dorian had gotten that right on their shopping trip to Val Royeaux.

She’d wanted something daring, in black or scarlet, something stark and severe and a little bit frightening.

Dorian had pointed out that she was already stark and severe and a little bit frightening and as such hardly needed a dress to show it, and why didn’t she try something different.

Fool that she was, she’d listened to him, and what had it gotten her? The prettiest dress she’d ever owned, in a pale blue silk that matched her eyes, a moment of complete humiliation, a potentially broken toe, and a gash in her foot.

And she’d broken the doors in her room.

She realized in alarm that her eyes were suddenly stinging with tears. She was not going to cry. She never cried over anything and certainly not over him.

She glanced over and found him watching her with that fucking little smirk again. “What?” She snarled at him, and immediately felt better.

“You get this dress for me, Boss?” He asked softly.

“Fuck you.” She told him, and tried to roll away. 

He stopped her easily, of course, with one massive hand on her waist. “You did. Why?” He sounded thoughtful, as if he were asking the question of himself, rather than her.

Fucking Ben-Hassrath asshole, always thinking he knew everything, everyone’s thoughts, everyone’s motives. She twisted sharply and succeeded in rolling out of his grip, and off of the bed, and stood there, fist clenched at her sides.

“Because tonight was supposed to be special, you ass!” She shouted. “Because I wanted to say…” Those fucking tears were back. “Because I wanted to tell you…" She blinked rapidly. “Fucking pathetic.” She muttered to herself.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I’m pathetic?” He asked and sounded genuinely confused.

“No!” She shouted. “I’m pathetic. Pathetic and naïve and clueless about these sorts of thing, and you don’t make it any fucking easier.”

“Make what easier?” He asked and if he’d sounded confused before, he now sounded wary.

She ignored the question. “Fucking pathetic Elspeth Trevelyan.” She ranted. “Can’t even fucking tell the man she fucking loves that she loves him because he’s a fucking Qunari, and apparently they don’t believe in ‘I love you’, that’s too fucking easy. No, if you love a Qunari you’ve go out and kill a fucking dragon and pull out it’s fucking tooth, and then you’ve got to figure out how to cut the fucking thing in half, and do you know how fucking hard dragon teeth are?” She demanded. “They’re like fucking iron. And then it fucking slips when I was doing that and I slash my hand open and I’ve got to deal with Cullen’s fucking suspicious looks, and Vivienne’s fucking lecture about the slippery slope from blood magic to demonic possession, and all that so that I can make two fucking necklaces, so you’ll fucking know what you fucking mean to…” She couldn’t even see properly now because of the tears, and her nose was beginning to run and how fucking perfect was that, a declaration of love with snot running down her face. “Fuck.” She muttered again.

Bull got to his feet, and hooked a finger underneath the chain of the necklace she was wearing, giving it a gentle tug and then staring at the dragon’s tooth pendant that hung from it.

Elspeth looked down at the floor, over at the broken glass doors, anywhere but at him.

“You said necklaces. There’s another one?” He asked and for the Iron Bull, he sounded strangely subdued.

She pulled the pendant out of his grasp and crossed to the night table, pulling out the other necklace, wordlessly handing it to him.

He starred at it for a full minute before looking at her with that little half smile but it was somehow different from before. “Put it on me?” He asked

With a loud sniff she took the necklace, and undid the clasp and then hesitated.

“Here.” He said softly, and went down on his knees in front of her. He was so large and she so small that their faces were almost at the same level now.

She slipped her arms around his neck, fumbling a bit before managing to fasten the clasp and then straightened up. On impulse she picked up her pendant, and his, fitting the two halves together. “So no matter how far apart life takes us we’ll always be together.” She said softly.

He stared down at the two halves. “Not often people surprise me, Kadan.” He told her and reaching out he covered her hand with his own.

She tilted her head, watching him carefully. “Kadan?” She asked.

He pulled her close. “Kadan.” He repeated. “My heart.” And the look in his eyes told her everything she’d wanted to hear.

A smiled curved her lips. “Kadan.” She agreed in a soft murmur as she leaned down to kiss him.

 _I love you too_ , she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Tied but Tenderly pictures references and other Dragon Age: Inquisition related things can be found on my tumblr
> 
>  
> 
> [Tied, but Tenderly references and inspiration](http://penthesilea1623.tumblr.com/search/tied+but+tenderly)


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